Armed Islamist extremists kill 162 in western Nigeria villages

[ad_1] Armed extremists killed no less than 162 individuals throughout assaults on two villages in western Nigeria, a lawmaker mentioned Wednesday, in one of many deadliest assaults in latest months.

The assaults focused the villages of Woro and Nuku, within the state of Kwara, on Tuesday night, Mohammed Omar Bio, a member of parliament representing the realm, advised The Related Press.

He mentioned the assaults have been carried out by the Lakurawa, an armed group affiliated with the Islamic State group. Nobody has claimed accountability for the assaults.

Ayodeji Emmanuel Babaomo, the Purple Cross secretary in Kwara state, mentioned the organisation has been unable to achieve the communities the place “scores of individuals have been killed” as a result of they're in a distant space – about eight hours from the state capital and close to Nigeria’s border with Benin.

Footage from the scene on native tv present our bodies mendacity in blood on the bottom, some with their fingers tied, in addition to burning homes.

State governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq described the assault as a “cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells” in response to ongoing navy operations towards armed extremists within the state.

Nigeria is within the grip of a fancy safety disaster, with an insurgency by Islamic militants within the northeast alongside a surge in kidnappings for ransom by gunmen throughout the northwest and north-central areas over latest months.

Individually on Tuesday, unknown gunmen killed no less than 13 individuals within the village of Doma, within the northwestern state of Katsina, police spokesman Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu mentioned. Nobody has claimed accountability for the assault.

To show this content material from YouTube, it's essential to allow commercial monitoring and viewers measurement.

Settle for Handle my selections One among your browser extensions appears to be blocking the video participant from loading. To look at this content material, chances are you'll have to disable it on this website.

Attempt once more

The armed teams in Nigeria embrace no less than two affiliated with IS, an offshoot of the Boko Haram extremist group referred to as the Islamic State West Africa Province within the northeast, and the lesser-known Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), identified regionally as Lakurawa, and outstanding within the northwest.

The Nigerian navy has mentioned previously that the Lakurawa has roots in neighbouring Niger and that it turned extra energetic in Nigeria’s border communities following a 2023 navy coup.

James Barnett, a researcher on the Washington-based Hudson Institute, mentioned the assault in Kwara state was almost definitely perpetrated by the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, or JAS, a Boko Haram faction that has been chargeable for different latest massacres within the space.

On Tuesday, the top of US Africa Command mentioned the US had despatched a small workforce of navy officers to Nigeria, the newest step in its response to the safety disaster. In December, US forces launched air strikes on IS-affiliated militants in Nigeria.

Africa’s most populous nation has been within the diplomatic crosshairs of the US following threats by US President Donald Trump to assault the nation, alleging it isn't doing sufficient to guard its Christian residents.